The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-12-08

He breaks down branches, uproots
small trees, and the prints of his big
feet could be followed on horseback
at gallop. This fellow had gone of
so softly that we were half an hour in
picking up his trail There was not q
broken branch, and he had set his feet
down with the utmost care. and select
ed the hardest soil. After getting a
quarter of mile away he had selected
rocky ridge to travel on. and we soon
lost him entirely.
Our camp was about three miles
from the spot where the horse was
killed. We always had one guard and
a couple of fires. and as there was only
the wild beast to look out for, we had
slept in perfect content On this night.
soon after midnight. the guard awoke
me and stated that some danger
menaced the camp. He had heard
what he believed was body of men
lurking about, and the buliocks seemed
greatly excited. The camp was aroused
as quietly as possible, the fires were
allowed to burn low, and in a short
time the statements of the sentinel
were verified. Somebody or some
thing was lurking about. We were in
the lion country, but the movements
were too heavy for the king of beasts.
The noise passed clear around the
camp and back. and then all was quiet.
We were under arms for half an hour,
and then, all being still, we lay down,
and all but the sentinel were soon
asleep. An hour later. as suddenly as
if shot from the gun, the old solitary
of the day charged into our camp,
trumpeting like the blasts from a loco
motive. and evidently in great rage.
1t was he who had been lurking about
for two or three hours. He had APP
preached the camp as carefully as
man could walk, and had passed around
it to locate every thing and decide on
a point to charge from. When we got
the alarm, he placed himself in the
shadow of some bushes. and the
natives, who examined the spot, said
he stood there for an hour and half
without moving foot.
Bloody and destructive work fol-
lowed the charge of the elephant. He
stepped on and crushed sleeping
native, picked second up and dashed
him to the earth corpse. and broke
the back of a third who was trying to
get out of his way. He was soon
among the bullocks, knocking them
right and left with his terrible blows,
and just then 1 got my gun ready. His
charge had been so sudden and fierce
that we were all demoralized for two
or three minutes. Fortunately for us
all, someone had the sense to throw
some light brush on one of the dying
fires and started a big blaze. This
seemed to disconcert the elephant, and
he showed signs of retreating. In this
he was encouraged by two of our bull
locks, who dashed at him for fight,
and raked him severely with their
stout horns. l was dancing about
waiting to get shot. and I'll tell you
what l saw that elephant do. He
picked up bullock weighing at least
nine hundred pounds, and that with
his trunk alone. and swung him aloft
as easily as you can lift an axe over
your head. He held him in the air a
and then flung him clean over
our Cape Colony wagon to the ground.
The bullock alighted on large heap
Of freshly-cut grass, and was but little
injured. l opened on the elephant
just as he flung the bullock, and he at
once bolted out of camp, carrying
three bullets with him. He had
scarcely got clear when he stepped
into a hole in the ground. lurched for
ward, and went down with broken
leg. Before he could get on his feet
again 1 had given him his death blow.
He had killed three men and four bull
locks, and wounded one man and two !
bullocks, and his death gave us deep
Y Sun.